Grace
by Minn
Summary: B/F 'shipperfic with a Twist. Ty is the central character watching it all unfold (or trying to). And I have a bit of fun with Alex too!
1. Default Chapter

GRACE  
  
  
  
PART ONE  
  
Everything seemed to be winding down into languid slow motion. They were in the car approaching an intersection; the light was giving them the go ahead. Sully was speaking, something about stripping a layer of skin off of an informant who had given them the slip. Ty spotted someone standing on the corner opposite. He heard himself point the man out to his partner as someone who might know where their informant might be and directed Sully's gaze in the mans direction. Something exploded into the car right on top of him. The scene shifted. He didn't recognise the ceiling. It was white and it was flat, he guessed like most ceilings - but it wasn't one he recognised. It was higher than any ceiling he'd ever slept under, and the moulding that ran around the top of the wall looked like something out of a fancy hotel. With some difficulty he looked over to his right and then around to his left. While the room was a stranger to him the things in it weren't; they were his things. But not the bed. A single bed? He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept in one of those. Ty's gaze returned to the ceiling while his mind travelled his body. It felt wrong. The scene shifted once more. Now he was sitting upright on the bed, or trying to, staring out of an unfamiliar window at an unfamiliar tree. Outside he could hear voices, music and laughter. He looked down. At his feet were his shoes, one sock clinging haphazardly to his right foot and his shirt gaped open through misaligned buttons. This is a dream, Ty thought, this has to be a dream. Behind him he heard the door to the room open. "C'mon Ty, aren't you ready yet?" Sully? The words formed in his mind but did not reach his lips. No matter how hard he tried, no words escaped his mouth. His right fist clenched in frustration. Sully seemed different, looked different. Older. He walked with a pronounced limp. "You need some help?" he asked. Ty looked up at his partner, his eyes pleading. What's going on, Sul? "You OK?" Ty's head rolled from side to side in an awkward attempt to respond in the negative. No part of him seemed under his control any more. "It's one of those days, isn't it?" The look on Sully's face was heartbreaking. Sully shuffled over to where Ty sat and with some difficulty dropped down onto one knee. Quickly he rearranged the dishevelled sock, matched it with its companion and guided Ty's feet into the shoes. "You want to have another go at your shirt?" Sully asked. .2.  
  
Why can't I speak Sul? Why can I barely move or even feel most of my body? Why can't I even put my own damn shoes on? he was shouting inwardly, but his useless vocal chords did nothing more bring forth simplistic grunts. "You want me to do it for you?" Ty could only whimper in protest as his friend deftly arranged the shirt buttons into their proper alignment. All his right hand could do was clench and unclench in frustration, while his left just lay there in his lap, frozen and useless. Sul, what's wrong with me? Why the hell am I like this? Behind them someone else entered the room. Ty heard a familiar voice ask softly: "John, is everything alright?" Mom! Mom, help me! "He's having one of his turns, Maggie," Sully responded quietly. "I don't know if he'll be up to much today." Ty's mother approached him, her face a picture of misery. She placed her hands either side of his face and kissed his forehead. The scene shifted. He found himself in a comfortable chair beneath the unfamiliar tree that sat in an unfamiliar garden, staring at a handsome but still unfamiliar house. The day was warm and magnificent. There was quite a gathering in the garden and those assembled seemed for the most part to be having a great time. Ty's gaze roamed over the faces. Some he recognised as being friends and colleagues of his own, some his mother's, some Sully's and some he could not place at all. But without exception, when their eyes fell upon him all he could see was a look of pity. It didn't stop them from making their way over occasionally to try their hand at engaging him in some form of communication. Ty found it tortuous, and from the looks in the eyes of his friends, they found it just as tough. They made good hearted attempts to involve him, or console him, or go some way to including him in their conversation, but it only served to frustrate him further. The scene shifted. A pretty little girl stood in front of him, smiling. She would have been five or six years old, he guessed, strawberry blonde with the most stunning blue eyes, dressed in a light cotton sundress the colour of sunflowers. "Hi," she said simply. He managed to nod a response. "I'm Gracie." The little girl held out her right hand. When he was too slow to offer her his, she stepped forward and boldly grabbed his hand, shaking it enthusiastically. "You're Ty, aren't you?" Ty nodded. Gracie grinned. A small group of children of varying ages galloped up. "C'mon Gracie." "OK," she replied brightly. "I'll come back later," she said to Ty, leaving him with a wave and a bright, cheeky smile. Ty watched enviously as the children careered across the garden and up the steps into the house. His left leg, a curious combination of numbness and painful tingling, began to shake. He looked down at it like it was a traitor, but try as he might he .3. could not control it. His frustration began to build, but that only served to make the shaking worse. "Hey Davis." Ty's head lolled in the direction of the one who had spoken, and his eyes followed Faith Yokas' every move as she perched herself on the edge of the chair next to him. "You look a bit out of sorts there," she said quietly. What's happened to me Faith? he pleaded, but all that he could manage was a strangled whimper. "Do you want me to get Sully or your mom?" At a loss to do anything else, he nodded. The minute his mother placed her arm around him he dissolved into tears. The scene shifted. Ty found he had not moved from his spot under the tree. Faith still sat next to him to his right. To his left was his mother, his useless left hand firmly grasped, somewhat pointlessly he thought, in hers. Next to his mother was Alex Taylor, speaking rather tetchily to someone on her mobile phone. He stared at Alex. Her pretty face seemed tense, her eyes sad, like something weighed heavily upon her. He didn't see pity in her face when she looked at him, just a look of tense preoccupation. "Yeah, whatever." She hit the end button and tossed the phone into the bag at her feet. Snatching up the glass of wine she had balanced on the wide arm of the chair she took a large mouthful and swallowed hard. "Unbelievable son of a." "You're looking well, Faith," his mother said quickly. She does too, Ty thought, realising that Faith, in sharp contrast to Alex, looked happy and relaxed. "Things are goin' OK then?" Alex inquired. "Things are goin' great, thanks," Faith replied, smiling. "What about yourself?" Ty looked from Faith to Alex, who shrugged. "One day at a time," she answered quietly. 


	2. Grace Part 2

GRACE  
  
PART TWO  
  
Ty gazed down at the sun-dappled shade at his feet.  
  
This has to be a dream, he thought.  
  
But everything around him seemed too vivid, too alive, too...real.  
  
His left leg, a curious combination of numbness and painful tingling, began to tremble. He looked down at it like it was a traitor, but try as he might he was unable to control it. His frustration began to build, but that only served to make the shaking worse.  
  
"Hey Davis."  
  
Ty's head lolled in the direction of the one who had spoken, and his eyes followed Faith Yokas' every move as she perched herself on the chair next to him.  
  
"You look a bit out of sorts there," she said quietly.  
  
What's happened to me Faith? he pleaded, but the only noise he could make was a strangled whimper.  
  
"Do you want me to get Sully or your mom?" she asked, concerned.  
  
At a loss to do anything else, he nodded.  
  
The minute his mother placed her arm around him he dissolved into tears...  
  
"What happened there?" Faith was asking of someone beside him.  
  
Ty found he had not moved from his spot under the tree. This time as the confusion subsided he had the vaguest memories of the comings and goings of various people, and his mother saying to each, "Ty's alright, he's just having one of his episodes."  
  
His eyes came back into focus. Faith still sat next to him on his right. To his left was his mother, his useless left hand firmly grasped, somewhat pointlessly he thought, in hers.  
  
"He has blackouts still," his mother was saying to Faith, running her hand down her sons left cheek.  
  
Ty peered at her. Blackouts?  
  
Someone else had joined them on the chairs arranged in a small semi-circle beneath the cool shade of the tree. On his mother's left sat Alex Taylor, speaking rather tetchily to someone on her mobile phone.  
  
He stared at Alex. Her pretty face seemed tense, her eyes sad, like something weighed heavily upon her. Unlike most of the others he didn't see pity in her face when she looked at him, just a look of strained preoccupation.  
  
"Yeah, whatever," she snapped, hitting the end button and tossing the phone sharply into the bag at her feet. Snatching up the glass of wine she had balanced on the wide arm of the chair, she brought it to her lips, murmuring "Unbelievable son of a..."  
  
"You're looking well, Faith," his mother said quickly.  
  
She does too, Ty thought, realising that Faith, in sharp contrast to Alex, looked happy and relaxed.  
  
"Things are goin' OK then?" Alex inquired.  
  
"Things are goin' great, thanks," Faith replied, smiling. "What about yourself?"  
  
Ty looked from Faith back to Alex, who shrugged.  
  
"One day at a time," she answered quietly.  
  
The children who had galloped past him earlier returned, squealing. As they came within range of the tree the pretty little girl who had introduced herself to him peeled off and made a direct beeline for Faith. Clamping her arms around Yokas' neck she placed a firm kiss upon her cheek.  
  
"Hi mommy!"  
  
"What've you broken?"  
  
"Nothing!" she cried in mock disgust, "I just missed you."  
  
Faith eyed her good-naturedly. "You want something then?"  
  
"Nooo..."  
  
Faith feigned surprise, and giggling her daughter clambered onto Faith's lap, snuggling back as her mother wrapped her arms around the child and kissed her hair.  
  
"Hello Gracie," said Alex, mustering a half-hearted smile.  
  
Gracie smiled back, waving.  
  
"Where's your father sweetie?" Faith asked.  
  
As bright as a button, Gracie sat up straight and announced in the boldest of tones: "Whipping Uncle Sully's saggy butt at pool!"  
  
Maggie and Alex dissolved into laughter as Faith rolled her eyes and shook her head.  
  
"He told you to say that didn't he?"  
  
Gracie grinned and hid behind her hands.  
  
"Well you go tell him that when he's finished having HIS butt whipped by Uncle Sully I'd like a word," said Faith.  
  
Gracie clambered down and ran off in the direction of the house.  
  
"She's so beautiful Faith," Ty's mother enthused.  
  
"Don't let the angel wings and fairy dust fool you - she's her father's daughter," Faith replied, but she smiled proudly as she said it.  
  
Alex made a noise into her wineglass that Ty didn't quite catch. He saw Faith and his mother exchange looks...  
As his head cleared he found his mother stood beside him now, a plate of food in one hand, her other hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Are you OK Ty?"  
  
That question, he thought, was getting a bit old. He knew they were just concerned, but damn, it was getting on his nerves to be asked that time and again. He felt his right fist clench.  
  
His mother offered him the plate. "Can you manage or would you like me to help you?"  
  
Ty stared at her, dismayed.  
  
Alex sat across from him, a plate balanced precariously on one arm of the chair she sat in, waving a folk aimlessly over her food.  
  
"I don't think he's hungry," she said.  
  
His mother put the plate on the low table that sat in the middle of the semi circle of chairs. "I'll leave it here for you."  
  
Ty watched as his mother made her way over to where Sully sat with friends at one of the long tables in the sun. She was clearly distressed and Sully did his best to comfort her.  
  
Alex watched her too, and after a while said: "Your mom and Sully look good together Ty."  
  
Ty stared at her.  
  
Alex watched him for a moment. "You have no damned idea what's going on do you?"  
  
He whimpered, pounding his fist on his thigh.  
  
"Yeah," she said, taking another gulp of wine, "life really can suck, can't it?"  
  
Alex seemed comfortable with his inability to communicate. In preoccupied silence she picked some more at her food before deciding she wasn't hungry anyway and put the plate on the ground beside her. Rather blearily she held her wineglass up in front of her and stared at the gathering through it.  
  
"Well, ain't that sweet?" she drawled.  
  
Ty followed her gaze to the table that held the buffet everyone else seemed to be heartily enjoying and his gaze lit upon Faith Yokas once more. She stood with Gracie helping her daughter fill her plate, while chatting casually with other guests.  
  
As he watched, a familiar figure ranged up beside Faith. Fondly he ran his hand down the curve of her back, letting it come to rest upon one cheek of her ass.   
  
He's gonna die! Ty thought, but to his amazement, Faith made no attempt whatsoever to move away from the over-familiarity he was showing her. Instead she seemed genuinely pleased to see Bosco.  
  
************************  
  
TBC - but only if you pay your Aunty Minn sh*t loads of money not to!! Hah! 


	3. Grace Part 3

GRACE  
  
PART THREE  
  
  
Ty could feel his mouth swing open in utter astonishment as he watched the scene before him.  
  
Faith Yokas, far from being disturbed by the fact that Maurice Boscorelli had his hand on her backside, responded by drawing closer to him, warmly laying her arm across his shoulders.  
  
He turned to Alex, who derived a certain amount of amusement from the look on his face.  
  
"Oh yeah," she said dryly, "The Boscorellis. Just when you think life can't get any weirder." She was shaking her head, a wry smile playing on her lips. "I gave it a month, tops. Just goes to show you how much I know about this sort of crap."  
  
Ty stared at Alex, awaiting confirmation that she was just pulling his leg. None came.  
  
"I mean, they have to be the last couple on the planet you'd think would turn out to be card carrying bluebirds of happiness, " Alex continued, making no attempt to cover the sarcastic tone in her voice. "But there they are - six years and one kid later and they still look like they actually enjoy each others company."  
  
Six years? Faith and Bosco? Gracie is Bosco's daughter?   
  
"And they've got this way of looking at each other - I swear to god Ty, it makes me wanna puke," Alex was saying.  
  
Ty turned his attention back to where Faith and Bosco stood. Gracie was gazing up at her father pleadingly, and Bosco was smiling down at his daughter with a great deal of fondness. When he looked up at Faith the two exchanged a look that had Alex making gagging noises into her wineglass.  
  
Ty watched as Gracie was handed her plate by Faith. Immediately the little girl headed in his and Alex's direction.   
  
"No! No! Not over here," Alex was mumbling, "No, dammit..."  
  
Gracie settled herself on the ground just in front Ty, placing her plate upon the low table next to his untouched meal. She had decided the little table under the tree where the funny man and the sad lady sat was a prime spot to be.   
  
"That stuff is really nice," the little girl said, pointing to something on Ty's plate.   
  
Ty did his best to nod but could feel the scene was beginning to slip away from him once more...  
  
This time he had clearer memories of being helped over to one of the tables, Sully propping him up on one side, an old friend of his on the other. He could stand, he realised, and walk, sort of, but progress had been painfully slow.  
  
He sat now at the head of one of the tables. Alex sat to his right on one of the long benches arranged beside the table, still toying with the food on her plate while eyeing Gracie warily for signs of overwhelming cuteness, he presumed. Next to her was Sully, and next to him, still wearing an expression of concern on her face, was his mother.  
  
Gracie, oblivious to Alex's discomfort, was kneeling on the bench to Ty's left, pointing out to anyone who cared to listen the really tasty items to be found on her plate. Bosco and Faith were next to her.  
  
Faith was regarding her husbands plate with some doubt.  
  
"You gonna eat all that?"  
  
"What? You kidding?" he responded. "Sul's paying. I'm clearing this and then goin' back for more."  
  
"So who won the pool?" Alex asked.  
  
"Sully," Faith answered, "in spite of Gracie's best efforts."  
  
"I swear to you Faith," said Bosco between mouthfuls, "I never told Grace to burst in every time Sully was about to make a shot."  
  
"Uh huh. Right," she said, unconvinced. "God, I'm livin' with a couple of grifters."  
  
Grace clambered down from the bench and began to wander around the other tables. Finding some of her little friends they embarked on an impromptu game of chase, under Faith's watchful gaze.  
  
"Gracie, come eat your lunch."  
  
The game continued.  
  
"Gracie. You can play later."  
  
The game rambled on.  
  
"Grace Eve!"  
  
The full use of her given names was the little girl's cue to comply. Obediently, with little outward sign of descent, she returned to the table.  
  
"Play after, OK?" said her father.  
  
Alex was chuckling into her wine. "So how do you know when you're really in trouble with your mom Gracie?"  
  
Quick as a flash Gracie was standing up on the bench, her hands on her hips, an over-stern frown decorating her face. "I get: 'Grace Eve Boscorelli, come here!"  
  
"What've I told you about impersonating your mother?" Bosco said, feigning annoyance.  
  
"Ummmm...never do it when she can hear me?"  
  
Ty watched as Faith draped her arm across her husband's shoulders, nudging her forehead against his face in a vain attempt to hide her wide grin from her daughter. Bosco was trying to keep a straight face but was not making a good job of it.  
  
"Jeez Gracie," he murmured, swinging his arm around Faith's waist.  
  
Alex looked at Ty and rolled her eyes. "Too cute," she murmured.  
  
To Ty, the scene before him held a strange fascination. Faith and Bosco had an easy charm about them as a couple. Bosco especially seemed different. Calmer. And whenever he looked at Faith there was no hiding how he obviously felt about her. As for Faith, Ty had never seen her laugh quite so much. Between them the pair inadvertently provided poor long suffering Alex with numerous opportunities to make quiet gagging noises into her wineglass.  
  
*********************  
  
TBC - need a bucket yet? Aunty Minn can lay it on when she wants to, eh? 


	4. Grace Part 4

GRACE  
  
PART FOUR  
  
  
Ty found himself still at the table. His plate had gone, but he had no recollection if he had eaten anything from it. He didn't feel hungry, but neither did he feel he'd had a good meal.  
  
Sully and his mother had left the table. Alex still sat to his right, head propped on her left hand, trying to avoid looking directly at the Boscorellis like they were some kind of personal eclipse and she didn't want to go blind.  
  
Bosco and Faith were sitting astride the bench now. Bosco sat behind his wife, his arms wrapped around her, while Faith leant back against him, her arms laying over his. Gracie and a little friend were playing not far from them.  
  
Bosco was looking at the house.  
  
"How many rooms do you think that thing has?" he asked.  
  
Faith shrugged. "Why?"  
  
"Just wondering." He kissed her neck.  
  
"No!" said Faith firmly. "God, can't you wait till we get home?"  
  
"OK Gracie, time to go..."  
  
Faith clamped her arms down to prevent Bosco from rising out of his seated position.  
  
"Daddy's joking honey," she said to her daughter.  
  
Alex's face was a picture.  
  
"Wassup, Bosco? Having kids cramped your style?"  
  
"The hell it has. Gracie knows not to disturb mom and dad time."  
  
They heard Gracie giggle. "Mommy makes funny noises..."  
  
Alex sputtered into her wineglass and Ty discovered he could still laugh quite well. How ironic, he thought. Nothing to laugh about and it's the one thing I can still do properly.  
  
Faith was turning the brightest shade of red as she told her daughter to run off and play elsewhere. It only intensified when Bosco chuckled: "You do!"  
  
"Bosco!"  
  
"Oh God!" Alex exclaimed, holding her hand up for them to stop "too much information!"  
  
"Do you ever wanna get some again - I mean ever?" Faith was saying in her best 'don't mess with me' NYPD voice. "Cos I can arrange it so's it'll shrivel up and drop off through lack of use."  
  
"Yeah right," Alex drawled, "You left handed or right handed, Bosco?"  
  
"Wassamatter Taylor? Not getting any?" Boscorelli shot back.  
  
She sneered at him.  
  
Ty felt himself beginning to fade out...  
  
It was late afternoon. The crowd had dwindled to a small group of friends and relatives gathered on the lawn in front of the house. They sat around in a rough circle, talking, laughing, reminiscing, and enjoying the sun.  
  
There was an easy familiarity about the group that made Ty wonder if these sort of events were a regular occurrence, but he had no recollection of them if they were.  
  
Alex was just to his left, now looking much the worse for wear but still nursing a glass of wine. His mom and Sully were next to him on the roomy cushion covered garden seat, and across from them were the Boscorellis. Once more their togetherness fascinated Ty.  
  
"Ty!" Alex's voice was a hoarse whisper. "You're doing it again."  
  
He looked at her, his eyes querying the statement.  
  
"All you've done all afternoon is watch them, and I think it's making them a little uncomfortable."  
  
A small grunt escaped his throat. It's all right for you, he thought. You're obviously used to seeing them like that. Me...I can't even remember back five lousy damn minutes...  
  
Alex regarded him carefully, which must have been something of a challenge through her half-lidded eyes.  
  
"Do you remember anything, Ty? About what happened to you?"  
  
His whole body rocked as he vigorously shook his head.  
  
Sully had leaned forward and now sat with his elbows on his knees.  
  
"He has days like this," he murmured. "He seems to phase in and out, gets confused...it's the brain injury thing."  
  
Brain injury? He turned to Alex, who looked at Sully. Sully nodded mutely.  
  
"You and Sully were involved in a car accident. A stolen van smashed into you as you were going through an intersection. We don't know how you survived...either of you."  
  
Ty closed his eyes. Fleeting images skipped across the screen of his mind but were gone before he had the chance to observe them closely.  
  
"I wish I'd never bought that lottery ticket," Sully rumbled.  
  
"You'd give all this up?" Bosco asked, indicating their surroundings.  
  
"In a minute."  
  
"That ticket meant you could provide Ty with the best medical care possible," Faith said quietly.  
  
"Yeah, but if I hadn't stopped to buy the ticket, we wouldn't have been anywhere near that intersection when the van ran the lights!" Sully's voice was filled with guilt.  
  
"Don't do that to yourself Sul," said Faith.  
  
"Faith, I can't help it. I'd give this all up in a second if it meant Ty could be the way he was before the accident. The money doesn't mean a damn thing!" He laughed but there was no humour in it. "You spend your whole damn life imagining that you could be happy if only you had enough money. Then you discover you'd rather have things the way they were before. God's got some sense of humour, hasn't he?"  
  
There was an uncomfortable silence for some moments after Sully finished speaking and the feeling of quiet camaraderie that had pervaded earlier was shattered. As his eyes roamed the faces of those around him Ty began to feel himself slipping away once more...  
  
******************   
  
TBC - Ya still with me? Just tell Aunty Minn to naff off if you've had enough. 


	5. Grace Part 5

GRACE  
  
PART FIVE  
  
  
He could hear voices around him.  
  
"He's out again, isn't he?" he heard Alex say.  
  
"Ty? Hey Ty?" Sully's voice rumbled nearby. "He's getting tired - it's worse when he's tired."  
  
His vision took it's own sweet time to clear, but when it did he found himself looking into Gracie Boscorelli's beautiful blue eyes.  
  
She stood gazing at him, grinning cheekily. When he managed to smile back the grin became wider and those eyes of hers danced. After a moment she waved and wandered back over to her parents, scrambled up onto her father's lap and lay her head upon his shoulder. Ty watched as Bosco gently kissed his daughter's head and Faith leaned closer to them both, whispering something to Gracie that made the little girl smile. The Boscorelli's whole dynamic was a source of endless fascination for Ty.  
  
"The little golden goblin of cute," Alex murmured. "Was I ever that cute d'ya think?"  
  
Ty began to laugh, or at least he tried. Sully was right. He was worse when he was tired. Even the bits of him that still worked were beginning to go out on strike.  
  
Alex was doing her best to rise from the chair next to him.   
  
"Time for me to go, I think," she said, eventually managing to get free of the chair's comfortable embrace. She swayed a little as she stood.   
  
Faith and Bosco, too, had decided to take their leave.  
  
"Need a ride anywhere Taylor?" Faith asked her.  
  
Alex forced a smile. "Yeah," she drawled, trying to sound appreciative, "that'd be...nice."  
  
She turned to Ty and rolled her eyes. Ty mustered a smile, but he could feel himself starting to lose his hold on the moment.  
  
A look of sad fondness crossed Alex's face. "Hey, it's been...good...to see you again Ty." She leaned forward unsteadily and placed a firm kiss upon his cheek. "You take care."  
  
Ty could barely keep his eyes open. He became aware that Faith and Bosco had also made their way over to say their goodbyes and he fought the growing sluggishness that threatened to overwhelm him.   
  
His last clear image was of Gracie, safe and happy in her father's arms, her beautiful eyes fixed upon him as she waved him goodbye...  
  
He woke with a sharp jolt.  
  
Ty sat bolt upright and looked around. The clock on the bedside table told him it was 4.23am.   
  
A quick mental check of his body revealed there was no pain, no tingling, no numbness. Every part of him moved freely and was firmly under his control.  
  
"What the hell?"  
  
He got up, headed for the kitchen and discovered Carlos was already there.  
  
"Hey," his flatmate acknowledged him. "Can't sleep either?"  
  
"Just had the most weird-ass dream," Ty replied.  
  
"Thought I could hear you mumbling to yourself," Nieto grumbled sourly. What was it about? The dream, I mean."  
  
Ty began to shake his head. "Oh man, the weirdest stuff..."  
  
Carlos seemed less than interested, so Ty saw no reason to say anything further.  
  
The memory of the dream lingered strongly for some time after, and for whatever reason it was the image of Gracie in her father's arms waving him goodbye that visited him most frequently. Unbidden the little girl would clamber through his thoughts and for the first few weeks or so Ty found himself watching Faith and Bosco closely for any sign that would give the dream some credence. He was surprised by the level of disappointment he experienced when he found nothing in their interaction to suggest anything beyond a solid, if slightly dysfunctional, working relationship.   
  
As a month went by the day to day realities of his life crowded in around the memory of the dream and it was shuffled into the background of his thoughts...  
  
"Mrs Hiller hasn't seen him and neither have any of the regulars," Sully growled as he stepped back into the car, tucking something into the pocket of his jacket.  
  
"You believe her?"  
  
"No reason not to," his partner replied. "She has no idea her sweet little nephew's nothin' but a piece of crap."  
  
They moved away from the curb and re entered traffic.  
  
"So what's our next move?" Ty asked.  
  
Sully shrugged and grumbled "I dunno. Bosco reckons he saw Dougie on Ardo's patch a couple of days ago. It might be worth a look. But I swear to god, I'm gonna skin him alive if...Ty?"  
  
Sully looked across at his partner. Ty had tuned out and was leaning forward in the passenger seat staring intently straight ahead of him.  
  
"Sul, what did you buy back there?" Ty asked suddenly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"What'd you buy?"  
  
"A lottery ticket - why?"  
  
"Stop the car."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You need to stop the car, Sul', I mean it."  
  
"What the hell's wrong with you Davis?"   
  
"Stop the car, man! Stop the damn car!" By this time Ty was shouting and reaching for the wheel.  
  
Sully hit the brakes and turned sharply to confront his partner.   
  
He never got the opportunity to utter a word before all hell began to break loose right in front of them.   
  
A van travelling at speed suddenly blasted through the lights to their right and clipped the back end of the car that had been travelling just in front of them across the intersection. It sent the van into a wild spin and then it rolled, flipping crazily across the road and onto the sidewalk, scattering glass and pedestrians like confetti.  
  
Sully stared in open mouth disbelief at the van and then turned to his partner.  
  
"That would have hit us," Sully murmured. "How the hell...?"  
  
Ty sat staring at the scene before him. "Grace, Sul'," he murmured. "It was Grace..."  
  
*******************   
TBC - Just one more, I promise! 


	6. Grace Part 6

GRACE  
  
PART SIX - Final part.  
  
That evening in the locker room Davis sat staring into his open locker listening as Sully rifled through his belongings.  
  
"Dammit!" he snarled, banging his locker door shut with such force it made all the others rattle.  
  
"What's up Sul?"   
  
"That lottery ticket I bought," Sully griped, "I figure it's gotta be a good one after what happened today, but now I can't find it!"  
  
Ty frowned. "Didn't you put it in your pocket?"  
  
"Yeah, I thought I did," Sully replied. "Ah what the hell. It was probably a dud just like all the others."  
  
Ty looked thoughtfully down at his left hand. "Maybe..." he murmured.  
  
"You say something Davis?"  
  
Ty shrugged. The premonitory nature of the dream had saved him, saved them; he had no doubt about that. He assumed that was the reason he'd had it. But when the image of Gracie in her father's arms waved him goodbye once more, he couldn't help feeling a certain amount of discomfort. What if her existence had somehow depended upon him being involved in that accident?  
  
He dismissed the thought sharply as crazy talk.  
  
Ty slammed his locker shut and was following Sully out just as Faith and Bosco were walking in.   
  
Bosco had his gaze glued firmly to the floor, and brushed past him with barely an acknowledgment.  
  
"Tough watch, huh?" Ty said to Faith.  
  
"Yeah. Not one of the better ones," she replied.  
  
Ty regarded her quietly for some moments. Her face looked tense, her eyes sad. He'd heard on the grapevine that things were a little difficult for her at home, and he guessed working with Bosco probably didn't make things any...  
  
He stopped the thought in its tracks as the memory of their beautiful daughter crept into his mind once more. The sudden pang of guilt he felt caught him by surprise.  
  
"Hey, heard about your lucky escape today," Faith was saying.  
  
"A lucky break I guess," he shrugged, barely able to look her in the eye. He continued on his way without another word.  
  
As he walked Ty tried to shake the feeling of guilt that had begun to stir in him. Some part of him seemed determined to believe that by saving himself from the future he had seen in the dream, he had robbed others, specifically Faith and Bosco, of the chance to experience real happiness.  
  
Sully stood on the sidewalk outside the precinct house waiting for him.  
  
"You still haven't explained how you knew that van was gonna run the lights," his partner growled.  
  
Ty regarded him quietly for a while and then replied: "I saw it in a dream about a month ago."  
  
Sully gave him the look Ty had expected he would.  
  
"You're kidding?"  
  
"I'm not man, I swear. I had this dream..." He stopped, unsure as to whether he wanted to give Sully any further details.  
  
"You gonna tell me about it?"  
  
"Why? It's just a dream, right?"  
  
"One that saved our asses, Ty!" Sully exclaimed.  
  
Ty stared down at the ground for some time.  
  
"Do you believe in Fate Sul'?"   
  
"Today I sure do," was the reply.  
  
"Do you think that if something is meant to happen, it will, regardless?"  
  
Sully regarded him carefully. "I don't know Ty. You gonna tell me what this is about?"  
  
"It's just, there were some other things I saw in the dream that I'm not sure are going to happen any more." He shrugged. "I'd kinda like them to."  
  
It was Sully's turn to shrug. "If it's meant to be, it's meant to be, Ty. Like it was meant to be we'd be standing here talking instead of lying in a hospital bed or a morgue somewhere. You had that dream for a reason, it saved us and that's good enough for me. Let the future take care of itself."  
  
Ty nodded thoughtfully.  
  
"Come on, I'm gonna buy you a beer," Sully said, moving off.  
  
"Just the one?" Ty inquired as he fell into step beside his friend.  
  
"Two maybe. What the hell, you deserve it."  
  
A few days later Ty stood waiting at the bottom of the steps by the front desk with Faith Yokas, listening as Swerskey read their partners the riot act on the landing above.  
  
It had been a busy watch, with barely enough time to breathe between incidents, and there were still three hours of the shift to go.  
  
"He threatened Faith and took a swing at Sully. What the hell was I supposed to do?" they heard Bosco protest.  
  
"Threatening to shoot the gentleman's balls off WASN'T an option Boscorelli!" Swerskey retorted loudly.  
  
"Any other bum and it would have been fine," Faith grumbled. "Just 'cos this guy has a bit of money and a few connections, Bos gets dragged over the coals."  
  
"One set of rules for the rich, Yokas, another for the poor," Ty mused.  
  
Faith said nothing. Ty turned to find her staring fixedly at the steps in front of her, lost in her thoughts. An image of her wrapped in Bosco's arms, her face alight with laughter taunted him.  
  
"Hey Faith, can I ask you something?" he said suddenly.  
  
Faith looked up and fixed her eyes...Gracie's eyes...upon him.  
  
"Sure."  
  
He took a deep breath, fully convinced he was out of his mind for asking the question he was about to. "What do you think of the name Grace for a little girl?"  
  
Faith regarded him with a look of faint amusement in her eyes. "You been hiding something from us Davis?"  
  
"What? No!" he yelped. "Friends of mine...you know...trying to decide on a name..." he answered as nonchalantly as he could while at the same time feeling like a lame ass.  
  
"Actually, it's funny," Faith smiled. "That was the name I chose if I'd had a girl instead of Charlie. Grace Eve."  
  
Ty stared at her. "For real?"  
  
"Yeah," she nodded and added softly "I've always liked the name. If I ever have another baby and it's a girl, that's what I'd call her."  
  
A wide grin began to spread across Ty's face.  
  
"What the hell are you smirking at Davis?" Bosco snarled as he made his way down the stairs towards them.  
  
"Nothin'" Ty replied, still smiling.  
  
Bosco turned his attention to Faith.  
  
"All set?" he inquired of her.  
  
"Yeah, just gotta have a word with Rattray over there then we'll hit the road," she replied.  
  
Ty watched Bosco as he waited for Faith near the door. For the most part he scrutinised the passing parade that filed by him through the doors of the precinct house, but Ty noticed Bosco's eyes flick Faith's way on more than one occasion. Faith finished her conversation and made her way over to where her partner stood. When she reached him Bosco turned to her - and for the briefest moment their eyes met.  
  
Ty stared. Had he not known what to look for he might have missed it, but there it was. The look. Just as he had seen it in the dream.  
  
He felt the grin on his face broaden into a wide smile as Gracie danced for joy in his thoughts. 


End file.
